Kenzo Mounts Pop-up Exhibition at London Store – Unity is Strength

Following the launch of its first quarterly ‘zine KenzoFolio, Kenzo has exclusively displayed an exhibition and pop-up space presenting a selection the zines editorials and moving images housed in Kenzo’s Mayfair store on Bruton Street, the exhibition is titled “Gidi gidi bu ugwu eze” — Unity is Strength.

The community, based in Nsukka in southeast Nigeria, is seen through the eyes of U.K.-based Nigerians; the photographer Ruth Ossai, and the filmmaker Akinola Davies Jr in collaboration with the stylist Ibrahim Kamara.

In this unique art project, artists Ruth Ossai and Akinola Davies Jr showcased Kenzo’s Summer 2017 collection within the Igbo communities of Nigeria, during a festive season where the young women of Nsukka support one another to develop a stage for shining a light on their own approach to beauty and glamour.

Akinola Davies Jr, also known as Crack Stevens collaborated with Ossai and Kamara on the film and photo project, which delved into the idea of “ceremony.” The trio highlighted the cultures, rites, rituals and ways of the Igbo. Alongside the imagery is a six-minute film depicting village life with men and women driving around on motorcycles, having drinks and dancing to the tunes of a Nigerian band.

“It’s about celebrating young black Nigerian bodies and capturing them celebrating Igbo culture and traditions, said Davies Jr.

He said it’s also about “Nigerians telling their own stories, the nuances of beauty in relation to their own community. Family nurtures everything, and your community is your extended family. Utilizing one another and trusting in each other’s process.”